UPWARD HOUND ADVENTURES DOWN UNDER

Penny was the first to kick off our move, heading to LA for a weekend before flying to Melbourne for the 10 days of quarantine. She traveled well (via Minneapolis) and managed to “hold it” the whole way. We seriously can’t believe how disciplined she is and we pray that she will let herself go on the way down to Australia (and not feel like she has to hold it). Don’t you wish you could talk to dogs and explain to them it’s ok?! Upon arrival she was a bit wide-eyed but has settled in well at the kennel.

Penny has been boarded while she awaits USDA approval and her flight to Melbourne. According to the fantastic staff at The Kennel Club LAX, she’s been enjoying snuggles during her stay 😍. I’ll be sure to post all about her trip in its entirety once she arrives in Alice.

We have spent the weekend with both Jon’s family and my parents. We had such a nice visit with everyone and so appreciated all of their travels to see us off. There was a final crunch of packing, changing our address, porting our phone numbers and many other tasks. It was SO nice having family there to support us and love on Emmylou (and us) before we headed down.

As we transition out of the townhouse playground of Northern Virginia, Jon and I feel excited and ready…there have been definite signs that it’s time for bigger and better things. For example, our favorite Mexican restaurant (the place that put me into labor with its spicy salsa bar 🤣) is relocating and shut down! I don’t know about you, but no tacos= no bueno for me! Also, our AC in our house has broken twice since we brought Emmylou home (in swampy, hot summer weather, of course). Although these are small hurdles, we are taking them as a sign that it’s best we just move to Australia.

Packing up was fairly uneventful- we took the minimalist approach and are only taking that which we need and storing the rest. The movers came to pack and move us out in 2 days. We did have 600 pounds of air shipment to pack and mail down on our own, which proved to be more work than we anticipated. We ended up air-shipping down a lot of our things…which will be nice when we arrive but was overwhelming at the time (those customs forms are a bear)!

The most dramatic reaction to a box being packed was, not surprisingly, Penny’s! As we stuffed her food bowls, bed, toys and beloved blanket (binx) into a cardboard box, she looked on with concern. She sniffed the box as we loaded it up and went back inside to pout (laying on the carpet just isn’t the same)! I suppose moving affects us all in different ways. 🤣 We reassured her the box would meet her in Alice, but we’re not sure she got it…

Jon has been the hero of this move; managing the coordination of paperwork, scheduling and planning, while I have been the captain of the home front; keeping the 2 month old alive (and flourishing, I might add) and packing during nap time. Penny has been working hard to decrease the squirrel population in our neighborhood and keep all delivery trucks far from her baby sister. If our mailman is reading this, we’re SO sorry you were never able to become friends.

Thanks to the packers/movers, moving day was a breeze (thank goodness it was breezy because the AC was out and it was 100 degrees) and the girls seem to be coping with the transition just fine! #allthenaps

After moving out, we have been in a (not-so-pet-friendly) hotel. Penny and Emmylou have been real troopers in the small space and dealing with the heatwave. Jon and I have been so grateful for our family and friends for their support (texts, visits and encouragement) as this transition phase has been a bit more stressful than we anticipated.

Penny departed this morning and flies through Minneapolis and LA to Melbourne (more details on her trip to come). Please keep her in your prayers the next couple weeks as she travels and is quarantined. We can’t wait to see her in Alice in 14 days! Our last few days here will be spent soaking up time with family.

It’s been far too long since our last post, but let’s be honest, there’s been LOTS going on in our corner of the world. First, and most importantly, meet the newest member of our pack, Emmaline Louise!! Born on April 28th, this dream baby has made us parents and Penny a big sister! We’re all smitten with sweet Emmylou and, yes, Penny is the best with her! Here’s some photographic evidence/baby spam…

In addition to our new addition, we will be embarking on a new adventure as a family. We are headed Down Under for a couple of years, as Jon will be working new a position in Alice Springs! We know the question on all of your minds is: will Penny go?! And, YES, of course (it wouldn’t be an Upward Hound Adventure without her)! She’s set to depart in a couple of days and we’ll meet up with her, post quarantine, in Alice.

To say that we feel blessed would be an understatement. We plan to share our many amazing adventures with you through this blog! We’re calling it, “Upward Hound Adventures: Down Under,” and think it has a nice ring to it (thanks for the idea, Linda)!

We look forward to sharing this amazing and unique opportunity with all of you and encourage you to get out of your comfort zone along with us- head to a new place or take on a new challenge- life is too short to pass up a new adventure. And to channel my inner-elementary school teacher:

So really, in a week we head Down Under to begin this amazing adventure as a family of 4. I usually wish you all, “Happy Trails,” at the end of my posts, but, this time, I’m wishing it to ourselves…traveling with a 9 week old and dog, we’ll need all the help we can get. Follow us as we embark on this great opportunity and please keep our family in your prayers as we transition to the land Down Under.